Josh MacAlister MP's bill to tackle addictive phone use in children

Josh MacAlister, Labour MP for Whitehaven and Workington, will introduce a Bill this Wednesday to protect children from the harms that can be caused by excessive screen time, and the use of social media and other apps, many of which he says are ‘addictive’ by design.

Josh, a former teacher and charity CEO, who led a landmark independent review into children’s social care for the previous government, secured fifth place in the Private Members’ Bill ballot, meaning his Bill is guaranteed a full debate in Parliament.

Research shows that the average UK 12-year-old spends 29 hours a week – equivalent to a part-time job – on their smartphone , and that one in four children and young people use their smartphones in a way that is consistent with a behavioural addiction.

There is a growing body of evidence demonstrating that smartphones, and social media in particular, are negatively impacting children’s mental health, sleep  and learning .

There are also concerns about the time children are losing from real life play and interactions. The impact is more acute for vulnerable children.

The Bill aims to address these concerns by making smartphones less addictive for children and by empowering families and teachers to cut down on children’s daily smartphone screen time.

The Bill is co-sponsored by a cross-party group of MPs, including a former Conservative Education Secretary, and is backed by the Chair of the Education Select Committee, the current and former Children’s Commissioner and a coalition of parents’ campaign groups, teaching unions, school leaders and children’s charities.

Josh MacAlister MP said: “The evidence is mounting that children doom scrolling for hours a day is causing widespread harm. We need the equivalent of the ‘seatbelt’ legislation for social media use for children.

“Adults find it hard enough to manage screen time, so why are we expecting children to manage this addictive content without some shared rules? Parents are in an impossible bind over whether to ostracise their child from social media or expose them to the harms and addiction of content.

“Countries around the world are now taking bold action and our children risk being left behind. It’s time to have the national debate here in the UK.  Polling shows that parents overwhelmingly support taking action on this issue and the coalition of experts backing my Bill reflects the views of those who are dealing with the consequences of excessive screen time.

“I look forward to the debate and hope to convince colleagues from across the House to back my Bill. I’d urge supporters to write to their MPs to encourage them to do so.”

Josh MacAlister’s Bill contains four main provisions:

• Raising the age of internet adulthood from 13 to 16, by raising the age at which companies can get data consent from children without parental permission. This will make it harder for companies to push addictive content to children by using their data to feed algorithms, and it will give greater powers to parents.
• Delivering smartphone free schools, by backing headteachers with a legal requirement that all schools should be mobile free zones. This would be done by putting existing guidance on a statutory footing.
• Strengthening Ofcom’s powers to protect children from apps that are designed to be addictive. This would mean giving Ofcom a specific mandate to protect children’s interests and new powers to enforce a code of conduct to prevent children being exposed to ‘addictive by design’ apps and services.
• Committing Government to review further regulation if needed of the design, supply, marketing and use of mobile phones by children under 16.

Kit Malthouse MP, former Conservative Education Secretary, who is one of the co-sponsors of the Bill, said: “The growing evidence of the impact of smartphones on kids is deeply alarming. So being clear about our expectations from providers and regulators, and their duties towards our children has to be a step in the right direction, and I’m pleased to support a Bill that does exactly that.”

Anne Longfield CBE, executive chair of the Centre for Young Lives and former children’s commissioner for England, said: “This Bill opens the door to a crucial national debate about the negative impact smartphones can have on children, and the urgent need to address those problems.

“For too long this has been the elephant in the room - we know many children, increasingly from a young age, are spending too much time doom scrolling on social media apps and how long periods of addictive smartphone screen time can be detrimental.

“Parliament now has an opportunity to reset children’s relationships with smartphones, and marginalise their impact and influence on developing young minds.”

Pepe Di’lasio, general secretary of the Association of School & College Leaders, said: “Smartphones and the instant access they provide to harmful content is nothing short of a public health emergency for children and young people. This technology is a conduit for bullying, pornography and hateful views. School and college leaders routinely pick up the pieces among damaged students.

“It is not enough to rely solely on parents and schools teaching children about the dangers of smartphones. We have reached a point where regulation is required over their sale and the conduct of online platforms.”